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April 12, 2015

Philadelphia woman accused of abandoning her quadriplegic son with cerebral palsy alone in the woods for over five days with nothing but a blanket and a Bible has been taken into police custody in Maryland

The Philadelphia woman accused of abandoning her quadriplegic son with cerebral palsy alone in the woods for over five days with nothing but a blanket and a Bible was taken into custody by police in Maryland.

Sheriff's deputies in Montgomery County took her into custody early Sunday morning, soon after an arrest warrant for the woman was issued, officials said. Montgomery County police said Parler was in the hospital, receiving treatment for an unknown reason, after being picked up at a Silver Spring address.

The 21-year-old son was found lying in the leaves covered with a blanket next to a wheelchair and a Bible near Cobbs Creek Park in southwest Philadelphia on Friday night.

Police described the son as severely disabled and said he was unable to communicate how he got there. They said their investigation indicates he was left there Monday, when his mother boarded a bus for Montgomery County, Maryland.

The son was hospitalized with dehydration, malnutrition, a cut to his back and eye injuries, Lt. John Walker said.

"This kid's obviously a fighter,'' Walker said. "To see that kid laying there, it's heartbreaking to see that another human, especially a mother, could treat someone like that.''

Walker said the son was exposed to the elements and other dangers.

"A lot of things could have happened out there,'' he said. "Obviously, he's in the middle of a wooded area. You have wild animals there. This kid could not defend himself. He does not function at all.''